The woman who lived by the hill

(24) A royal bows her head

Shinganshina
857

Doors really did have many uses. They blocked openings to keep things out or in, but could also be swung on small hinges to connect the world outside to the inside one. By simply knocking upon it, you could summon someone on the other side and if they were to slam it in your face, it was a clear indicator to go the hell away.

Mikasa was summoned to the door of her cabin near the five months mark of her pregnancy. She opened only to have Ymira ram into her legs after the quickest dash the three-year-old was capable of. "Kasa!" exclaimed the child, plopping onto her bottom in a fit of giggles.

Children really did love to laugh.

"Ymira!" scolded the Queen. "Don't do that. Oh, Mikasa. Look at you. How are you doing?"

Historia's belly had swelled enormously. At seven months, she had a large baby bump, indicating that a little one was on its way soon. Her blonde hair was brushed messily and her clothes were picked out for nothing but comfort. In all, Paradis' ruler appeared to be exhausted.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. Whould you like to come in?"

"Oh, yes. I need to see if it's fit for the baby."

With one hand, Historia brought Ymira to her feet, and the other was placed on her stomach. Together, she and her daughter walked past Mikasa into the cabin. The latter explained, "I had some couple in down renovate to make everything bigger. Now, there's a closet, a bedroom and the main room's been enlarged. They made me a baby chair and a crib and another dresser for clothes and toys."

"It's cozy," Historia commented, nodding as she glanced around the main room. "I love the windows as well. They make the place feel more open. I think it's the perfect place to raise your baby."

The approval made Mikasa a little happy. Just a little. Perhaps she was getting a hang of the whole idea of this parenting thing.

"Are you ready to go?"

Ackerman nodded. From the table, Mikasa retrieved a small suitcase that she had packed that same morning, put on her coat and stepped back towards the door. She closed and locked it once all three of them were out of the cabin.

"Are we taking the train?" asked Mikasa.

"Right now that's only used for soldiers in the military. I've only got special permission to go to port because I'm the Queen. I arranged for a carriage to take us there. They paved out a road to there recently."

Mikasa recalled people doing such a thing on the outskirts of Shinganshina about a year ago. To her friend, Mikasa said, "The private one no one's allowed to use?"

"The very one..."

The conversation took a different turn after Historia stopped walking. Reiss was staring up at the large tree on the hill by Mikasa's house, the sad look having returned to her face. A leaf which had an explosion of red, orange and yellow colours on it fluttered from the nearly naked branches and landed softly on the grave underneath it.

"It's him, isin't it?"

Mikasa, too, halted. "That's right," she said.

"How do you have his body?" asked the Queen, partly suspicious.

"It's only his head buried there."

"I see. May I pay my respects to him?"

Bending down to fix Ymira's skirt, Mikasa said that Historia was free to do so. The Princess looked up at Ackerman with questioning eyes while her mother moved off toward the skeletal tree.

"Kasa, what mommy doing?"

Glancing back, Mikasa saw that Historia was bowing her head by the grave, eyes closed and hands clasped together. The woman hardened her gaze. She picked up Ymira and said in a low, nearly inaudible voice, "Paying her respects."